This invention relates to wood flooring, and is more particularly concerned with flooring surfaces in the form of hardwood tiles or panels that can be adhesively applied onto a subflooring of concrete or other materials.
Wood floor coverings and hardwood floors in particular have been expensive to construct and to install, and it has long been sought to find a suitable technique for the economical fabrication of attractive, durable floors. In particular, the industry has long sought a flooring technique that is suited for public areas, such as retail stores, restaurants, office spaces, or the like, where hardwood or other similar flooring surface is desired. It has also been desired to achieve the speedy and cost effective installation of hardwood flooring directly onto a concrete subfloor, using a conventional flooring adhesive, and which can provide a random-length appearance.
A number of flooring techniques have been proposed, but none of these achieve the ends of this invention. Kawayashi et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,414 and Conrad U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,349 describe flooring systems in which hardwood strips are combined into tiles or panels. Another prefabricated flooring system is described in Moore U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,247. Parquet flooring tiles are discussed in Bourgade U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,338 and Ottosson U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,888. A hardwood flooring system that can create a random look is described in Blackburn U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,172. None of the previously proposed hardwood floor systems creates a floor with the look of random slat lengths, with the convenience of an adhesive installation and with the durability of tongue and groove.